Triumph for Spanish Photojournalism: Three Spaniards Win at World Press Photo 2026

Three Spanish photographers—Brais Lorenzo, Luis Tato, and Diego Ibarra Sánchez—have been named winners of the prestigious World Press Photo 2026 contest. They are among the 42 laureates selected from thousands of international entries.

Brais Lorenzo won in the "Photojournalism" category for the European region with his project "Scorched Earth." The series documents the devastating forest fires in Galicia in 2025, which destroyed over 200,000 hectares. Born in Ourense, Lorenzo has been documenting Galician wildfires since 2011.

Luis Tato received his award in the Africa region for his reportage on youth protests in Madagascar. The unrest, fueled by poor public services, corruption, and economic hardship, followed the controversial re-election of President Andry Rajoelina. The situation reached a breaking point on 11 October when the CAPSAT military unit sided with protesters, leading to a de facto military takeover. At least 22 people died during the clashes.

Diego Ibarra Sánchez triumphed in the Long-Term Projects category for the West, Central, and South Asia region. His work, "Hijacked Education," highlights the plight of children deprived of schooling in war-torn countries. UN estimates suggest that 85 million out of 234 million school-aged children affected by global conflicts have no access to education at all.

The World Press Photo 2026 contest saw 3,747 photographers from 141 countries submit more than 57,000 works. The "Photo of the Year" winner will be announced on 23 April. The exhibition of winning works will traditionally be held in Barcelona at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) from 6 November to 13 December.